Feast of Sorrow: A Novel of Ancient Rome

Longlisted For The Center For Fiction First Novel Prizea Massachusetts Book Award Must ReadSet Amongst The Scandal, Wealth, And Upstairs-Downstairs Politics Of A Roman Family, This Addictively Readable First Novel (Kirkus Reviews) Features The Man Who Inspired The WorldS Oldest Cookbook And The Ambition That Led To His Destruction.In The Twenty-Sixth Year Of Augustus CaesarS Reign, Marcus Gavius Apicius Has A Singular Ambition: To Serve As Culinary Adviser To Caesar. To Cement His Legacy As RomeS Leading Epicure, The Wealthy Apicius Acquires A Young Chef, Thrasius, For The Exorbitant Price Of Twenty Thousand Denarii.Apicius Believes That The Talented Thrasius Is The Key To His Culinary Success, And With The SlaveS Help He Soon Becomes Known For His Lavish Parties And Sumptuous Meals. For His Part, Thrasius Finds A Family Among ApiciusS Household, Which Includes His Daughter, Apicata; His Wife, Aelia; And Her Handmaiden Passia, With Whom Thrasius Falls Passionately In Love. But As Apicius Draws Closer To His Ultimate Goal, His Dangerous Single-Mindedness Threatens His Young Family And Places His Entire Household At The Mercy Of The Most Powerful Forces In Rome. A Gastronomical Delight (Associated Press), Feast Of Sorrow Is A Vibrant Novel, Replete With Love And Betrayal, Politics And Intrigue, And Sumptuous Feasts That Bring Ancient Rome To Life.